Organ damage and hepatic lipid accumulation in carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) after feed-borne exposure to the mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol (DON)

Deoxynivalenol (DON) frequently contaminates animal feed, including fish feedused in aquaculture. This study intends to further investigate the effects of DON on carp(Cyprinus carpio L.) at concentrations representative for commercial fish feeds.Experimental feeding with 352, 619 or 953 μg DON kg−1 feed resulted in unaltered growthperformance of fish during six weeks of experimentation, but increased lipid peroxidationwas observed in liver, head kidney and spleen after feeding of fish with the highest DONconcentration. These effects of DON were mostly reversible by two weeks of feeding theuncontaminated control diet. Histopathological scoring revealed increased liver damage inDON-treated fish, which persisted even after the recovery phase. At the highest DONconcentration, significantly more fat, and consequently, increased energy content, wasfound in whole fish body homogenates. This suggests that DON affects nutrientmetabolism in carp. Changes of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in kidneys andmuscle and high lactate levels in serum indicate an effect of DON on anaerobicmetabolism. Serum albumin was reduced by feeding the medium and a high dosage ofDON, probably due to the ribotoxic action of DON. Thus, the present study providesevidence of the effects of DON on liver function and metabolism.